artist: Manuel Barrios

Was born and raised in Mt Clemens, Michigan. He moved to California in 1985 to accept a job in the high tech industry. Since he was young, Manuel has always been interested in various forms of music and art, including watercolor silhouettes, oils, spray paints, and paper Mache.

In early 2003, Manuel was no longer working the high tech giving him the opportunity to "play" with various forms of art. In the spring of 2004, Manuel gave up alcohol for lent. One evening while painting with watercolors, Manuel had a huge craving for a glass of wine. Since he couldn't have any, he poured a glass just to smell it! From there the idea came to try to paint with the wine he was "smelling"!

As Manuel spread the wine on the paper and started working with it, the sweet smell of the Merlot filled the room. Manuel still likes to experiment with other mediums, but he usually finds that he migrates back to the wine. Manuel has devoted his time to perfecting the pictures and techniques for painting with wine; however he knows that each new vintage will cause new results and new techniques.